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Thai Tea Health Benefits

Written by Nicki Wolf

17 October, 2013

With its creamy look, Thai tea may seem like it would be high in fat and low in health benefits, but the opposite is true. Often called boba tea or bubble tea, this cold beverage combines milk, large tapioca pearls, sugar, tea and spices. While it is high in sugar and calories, Thai tea offers a variety of other nutritional perks.

Calcium Booster

An 11-ounce serving of Thai tea provides four percent of the daily recommended intake of calcium. The calcium in this beverage helps to fortify your bones and teeth, and getting enough in your diet grows more critical as you age -- the older you get, the less bone density you have. Drinking this tea drink can positively influence bone strength, which can protect you from osteoporosis, a disease that makes your bones weak and easily broken.

Contains Vitamin A

One serving of Thai tea contains two percent of the vitamin A you require each day, which makes this creamy drink a smart choice for eye health. Vitamin A fosters a healthy cornea, and in doing so, your cornea helps stop infections that can attack your eye and make you ill. Drinking Thai tea may also help preserve your vision by preventing age-related macular degeneration. Getting enough vitamin A in your diet can also prevent blindness and corneal ulcers.

Hypertension Tamer

Thai tea contains a healthy dose of milk, and drinking milk may positively influence your blood pressure. A study published in the February 2008 issue of the American Heart Association journal “Hypertension” indicates that women with low dairy product consumption experienced higher levels of hypertension. The study observed the diets of close to 30,000 women over the age of 45. This tea is also quite low in sodium -- 21 milligrams per serving – so it won’t aggravate your blood pressure if you already have high readings.

Low in Fat

A serving of Thai tea introduces five grams of fat into your diet. This accounts for 15 percent of the total calories in this milky drink. Federal guidelines suggest that you plan your daily food intake with 20 to 35 percent of your calories coming from fat, which – if you follow a 2,000 calorie diet – amounts to roughly 44 to 78 grams of fat. Even if you aim for fat intake at the lower end of this scale, drinking a serving of Thai tea will not significantly contribute to your daily fat limit.

Nicki Wolf has been writing health and human interest articles since 1986. Her work has been published at various cooking and nutrition websites. Wolf has an extensive background in medical/nutrition writing and online content development in the nonprofit arena. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Temple University.